Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, 'You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic - real film magic.'

Now, in this documentary, he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, and The Tales of Hoffmann.

Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger - two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950s.

Scorsese celebrates their ability to create 'subversive commercial movies' and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.  

This film contains flickering or flashing lights that may affect those with photosensitive epilepsy.

The Garden Cinema View:

Martin Scorsese is our erudite and enthusiastic guide through The Archers’ career. What is evidently a meaningful project for Marty, Made in England serves as a personal tribute to a filmmaking duo who exerted huge influence on his own films, as well as a loving showcase of both their classic and lesser known work. And archival interviews with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger underscore their own charisma and intelligence. This may be a long documentary, but always a pleasure to immerse oneself in. The enduring takeaway being a profound need to (re)watch these films, however familiar some of them may be.

And you can! We’re scattering some of Powell & Pressburger’s classic 1940 works across our programme to complement our screenings of Made in England.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)  

A Matter of Life and Death (1946)